Virgo Blaktro & the Movie Disco
at once represents a back-to-basics move and a firm step forward.
Felix da Housecat
's previous album,
Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever
, was nearly overstuffed with guest appearances and interlopers, as if
Felix
had actually followed through on each "Hey, we should do something in the studio" yelped during his globetrotting DJ gigs and VIP party-hopping. This time out,
opted to keep it to a handful of collaborators new and old, none of whom are famous indie or dance music figures, so it has the feel of his releases prior to
Devin Dazzle
. It was, however, executive produced by famous R&B producer
Dallas Austin
, who -- of course -- bumped into
on
Diddy
's yacht in St. Tropez. It's possible
Austin
played a role in the album being
's most pop yet, but
could've just as easily gone in this direction on his own. The album recalls 1999's
I Know Electrikboy
(credited to
Maddkatt Courtship
) for its unselfconscious but tidily controlled shifts from sound to sound. With the exception of
"Sweetfrosti,"
which samples
Devo
's
"Snowball,"
each track is credited solely to
, who wanted to make an album made primarily of songs, as opposed to an album based on tracks with the occasional full-blown song. The songs that contain some combination of melancholy, sadness, and sexiness in an impossibly frolicsome way tend to work best;
"Moviedisco,"
"Monkey Cage,"
and
"I Seem 2B the 1"
are as melodically advanced and durable production-wise as anything
has done in the past, and the fact that he handles more of the vocals than ever is no hindrance. Surprisingly, the screeching/shuffling
"Tweak"
is the only instance of
indulging his screwball dancefloor persona, unless you count the handful of comparatively tame disco-funk tracks. Not
's wildest ride, but it is just as pleasurable as anything else he has done. ~ Andy Kellman